Doughnuts get a makeover on restaurant menus

But two species from the fried dough genus have become fixtures on the fine dining and culinary experimentation scene. French beignets and all-American doughnuts are suddenly popping up on restaurant menus everywhere.

Doughnuts are either yeast-raised or made like a cake, with a leavening agent, such as baking powder or baking soda. Beignets are traditionally made with choux pastry, a light dough also used in crullers and eclairs, but the treats can also be made with a yeast dough, which makes them more akin to a small doughnut.

The key to great beignets is to keep them simple and focus on technique and quality ingredients. But doughnuts are another matter — a blank canvas awaiting a creative cook with a penchant for new flavors. “Doughnut shops have the flexibility to do more with them,” says Lara Ferroni, author of the new “Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home” (Sasquatch Books, $16.95).

You don’t have to dine out for a creative doughnut fix, says Ferroni. Many early American cookbooks included recipes for doughnuts, which home cooks would fry while doing their weekly Saturday baking.

“It’s a different experience,” she says.

In addition to the freshness, there are other advantages, says Ferroni. You can control the sugar content and ingredients, and play with flavors.

Her book includes basic recipes for yeast and cake doughnuts, as well as gluten-free and vegan doughnuts. As Homer Simpson would say: “Mmmmmmm. Donuts.”